The High Performance Podcast

Dr Chris van Tulleken is a doctor, scientist and one of the UK’s leading voices on ultra-processed food. An associate professor at UCL, an NHS doctor, World Health Organisation adviser and author of the bestselling Ultra-Processed People, he has spent years investigating what the food industry is really putting on our plates.

But the truth about what we eat is far more unsettling than most of us realise...

In this eye-opening conversation, we revisit why Chris believes the evidence linking ultra-processed food to physical and mental health problems has reached the same threshold we once reached with tobacco. He reveals how the world’s biggest tobacco companies helped shape the modern diet, how food is engineered and tested to make us eat more and eat faster, and what certain additives may be doing to our gut, our mood and our brains.

He shares what happened when he spent a month eating an 80% ultra-processed diet, why so many people are living in “food swamps”, and the eye-watering sums of money that he has turned down from fast food companies to protect his integrity. Chris also sets out the two changes he believes could transform our food system: clear warning labels on unhealthy food and a government nutrition committee free from industry money.

This is a conversation about agency, justice and taking back control, and a powerful reminder that if you struggle with this food, it’s not your fault.

AG1 👉 Grab the Autumn Wellness bundle at http://drinkag1.com/highperformance - Get a free welcome kit and shaker, a month's supply of Omega 3 capsules, a bottle of Vitamin D3K2 and five travel packs, plus an extra £10 off

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After hundreds of conversations with extraordinary people, Jake and Damian stop and ask a question they've been circling for a while prompted by a recent social media post from Rob Beckett: how has High Performance changed since it started and are we part of the 'grindset' problem?

When the show began, they were fascinated by winning: routine, sacrifice, discipline, marginal gains. Jake once wrote a post about getting up at 5am that he now calls one of his biggest regrets. In this episode they play back their own early conversations, including Jake's advice to Steven Bartlett and Ant Middleton's definition of high performance from the show's second episode, and ask what they'd still stand by and what they've changed their minds about.

The shift started with Jonny Wilkinson, who told Jake that suffering doesn't lead you to joy. It just builds stronger habits of suffering. From there they get into the difference between high standards and grind culture, what the Special Forces told them about never feeling like they'd done enough, and whether the people who change the world are driven by obsessive or harmonious passion (they don't fully agree). Mark Manson and Jimmy Carr help them land it.

As Jake puts it: high standards ask something of you. Grind culture asks everything of you. If you've ever wondered whether you're doing enough, or whether "enough" is even the right question, this one's for you.

Clips featured (full episodes linked below):

Steven Bartlett https://pod.fo/e/16ca9

Ant Middleton https://pod.fo/e/15f9f

Jonny Wilkinson https://pod.fo/e/9cca4

Mark Manson https://pod.fo/e/15bfe7

Jimmy Carr (released on October 26th!)

AG1 👉 Grab the Autumn Wellness bundle at http://drinkag1.com/highperformance - Get a free welcome kit and shaker, a month's supply of Omega 3 capsules, a bottle of Vitamin D3K2 and five travel packs, plus an extra £10 off

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alessandro Benetton knows what it means to challenge an established order. When the Benetton family entered Formula 1 from the world of fashion, the paddock laughed. But rather than trying to fit in, they rewrote the rules, and went on to win world championships.

Alessandro joins us to reflect on the decisions that changed everything, from recognising Michael Schumacher’s extraordinary talent before the rest of the sport caught on to standing by his team when allegations of cheating threatened the family’s reputation. He shares why backing your instincts, challenging convention and trusting the people around you can matter most when the pressure is on.

This is an insight into the advantage of being an outsider, the courage to make unconventional decisions, and why sometimes the best way to get ahead is to stop following the crowd.

Alessandro Benetton Bio:

Alessandro Benetton is Chairman of Edizione and Mundys, and the founder of 21 Invest. He began his career in Formula 1, taking over the Benetton team at just 24 and becoming the youngest chairman in F1 history. Under his leadership, the team won two drivers’ championships with Michael Schumacher and the 1995 constructors’ title.

The documentary 'Benetton Formula' is available now on Sky in the UK and NOW in Germany

AG1 👉 Grab the Autumn Wellness bundle at http://drinkag1.com/highperformance - Get a free welcome kit and shaker, a month's supply of Omega 3 capsules, a bottle of Vitamin D3K2 and five travel packs, plus an extra £10 off

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dame Jess Ennis-Hill is one of Britain’s greatest athletes. A triple world heptathlon champion, European champion and Olympic gold medallist, she reached the absolute peak of her sport.

But behind the medals was a very different story....

We revisit this incredible conversation where Jess reveals what it was like to become Britain’s “Golden girl” ahead of London 2012, carrying the weight of huge public expectations and feeling that anything less than gold would be seen as failure.

She opens up about the injury that cost her an Olympic opportunity, returning to elite competition after becoming a mum, and the challenge of accepting that her body and training had changed.

Jess also explains how sports psychology, visualisation and blocking out the noise helped her perform when the pressure was at its highest, why having the right people around you matters, and why she ultimately believes happiness and balance are at the heart of high performance.

This is the story behind the medals, and what it really took to become an Olympic champion.

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've sat down with hundreds of high performers. These are five sentences we've never heard a single one of them say...

"I'll start when I'm ready." "That's just the way I am." "It's not fair." "I've done enough." "I did it on my own." None of them is a character flaw, but each one quietly pulls you away from where you want to be.

From the High Performance archive, Keely Hodgkinson explains why she puts her success down to 90% mindset, in a year when almost nobody believed she'd make the Olympic team. Matthew Syed remembers bombing a talk at Goldman Sachs and then going to Toastmasters every fortnight for three years. Joe Hart talks about England's Euro 2016 exit to Iceland without blaming a soul. Alun Wyn Jones explains why complacency was his biggest fear, and Laura Kenny shows why her story was never a solo effort, starting with setting fire to a jacket potato in Belgium at 18.

Along the way, Damian brings in the research on "if-then" plans that help you follow through, the labels we let others stick on us, why growth mindset might matter less than we've been told, and the difference between harmonious and obsessive passion. Jake questions whether never having "done enough" is healthy at all, and explains why the people who made your life hardest helped shape you too.

Full episodes links for the guests featured:

• Keely Hodgkinson https://pod.fo/e/252844
• Matthew Syed https://pod.fo/e/164cec
• Joe Hart https://pod.fo/e/24b0f2
• Alun Wyn Jones https://pod.fo/e/2b6885
• Laura Kenny https://pod.fo/e/249586

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linford Christie didn't just race his opponents, he tried to beat them before the gun even fired. The Olympic champion reveals the psychology behind his ruthless approach to the 100m, and the mindset that allowed him to keep pushing when most would have stopped.

Linford reflects on the hunger that drove him to the top despite starting his international career later than most, and why winning Olympic gold in Barcelona felt more like relief than celebration. He also opens up about the pressure of constant scrutiny, the emotional armour he built throughout his career, and the personal cost of never allowing himself to show weakness.

Now in his 60s, Linford shares what he's learned about achievement, vulnerability and finally being able to appreciate what he's accomplished.

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robin van Persie captained Arsenal and won the league with Manchester United, but for years he says his hardest opponent was himself.

We re-visit our classic episode with Robin where he talks about the letter he wrote to himself that he didn't believe when he read it back, the childhood friends he let go at 24, the Arsenal exit he'd handle differently and the advice to his son that Jake calls the whole podcast in two minutes.

Our partners in this episode:

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us are waiting for someone to tell us we're ready. This week, Jake and Damian argue that moment never comes, and that the people we admire most simply stopped waiting.

You'll hear from George Russell on the email to Toto Wolff that started his Mercedes journey, Robin Sharma on why it pays to be "a bit of a pirate", Alain de Botton on why the world is built by humans, not gods, and Adam Grant on the feedback that nearly made him quit public speaking. Francis Ngannou, Shane Parrish and Tom Kerridge unpack what it really means to take full ownership of your life, and Holly Tucker explains why there's never a perfect time to start.

Along the way, Damian brings in the research on self-efficacy, why we underestimate how willing people are to help us, and why amateurs wait for inspiration while professionals just get on with it. Then Dame Amanda Blanc complicates everything: sometimes, all it takes is someone else believing in you first.

Listen to the full episodes:

George Russell https://pod.fo/e/1527c9

Robin Sharma https://pod.fo/e/23512b

Alain de Botton https://pod.fo/e/1f5db0

Adam Grant https://pod.fo/e/1546d4

Francis Ngannou https://pod.fo/e/21a419

Shane Parrish https://pod.fo/e/1ff000

Tom Kerridge https://pod.fo/e/22356e

Holly Tucker https://pod.fo/e/1943f

Dame Amanda Blanc https://pod.fo/e/1419c7

Thanks to our partners:

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donate 👉 Sir Kevin Sinfield's 7 in 7: The Grand Finale https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/7-in-7-the-grand-finale

England Rugby coach and MND campaigner Kevin Sinfield has spent years running into pain, not away from it. In memory of his friend Rob Burrow, he has pushed his body to its limits, finding in the suffering a way to carry some of the emotional weight of the families he meets.

In this episode, Kevin shares the lessons Rob taught him without saying a word: what matters, what doesn't, and how to live with more courage and compassion. He also reveals what high performance really means to him, getting the best from people while caring for them.

This is a conversation about purpose, resilience and the power of showing up for others. Because for Kevin, it has never been about the miles. It's just running for a mate.

Our partners in this episode:

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

XTB 👉 To find out more and make your money work, use code HPP at: https://highpfrmc.com/XTB_HPP_AU

Vitality 👉 We've partnered with Vitality because our philosophies align perfectly: healthy habits build high performance and can lead to a healthier, longer life. Find out more about health and life insurance with Vitality: https://highpfrmc.com/vitality-hpp-au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're revisiting this extraordinary conversation with one of our most-requested conversations - Usain Bolt.

Usain reveals the failures that changed the way he thought about performance, including the Olympics in Athens where he failed to make it out of the first round. He shares the moment his coach told him he simply wasn’t working hard enough, and the painful realisation that followed.

Usain opens up about the power of consistency, learning how to lose, handling pressure, competing with scoliosis, dealing with global fame, and the mindset that helped him win eight Olympic gold medals.

He also explains why he learned to “don’t think limits”, how he stayed calm before the biggest races of his life, and what high performance actually meant to him after dedicating his entire life to it.

Daniel's latest book Fed Up is out now https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/59539/daniel-lieberman

AG1 👉 Head to http://drinkag1.com/highperformance to save £20 on your first month, plus a free welcome kit, Vitamin D3 + K2 and five travel packs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.